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Primer

Primer

What happens if it actually works?

200477 minPG-13Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Director
Shane Carruth
Starring
Shane Carruth, David Sullivan, Casey Gooden, Anand Upadhyaya

A group of fledgling inventors discover a complex method to manipulate reality. At first, they successfully game the stock market with it, but the consequences of the invention start to catch up with them.

Where to watch

Where can I watch Primer?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Primer to rent or buy on Apple TV and Prime Video, and on no subscription service.

Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about Primer?

Primer earns 10 badges, led by Indie breakout and 10× return.

Show 2 more
  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office
  • Content

Reception

Is Primer worth watching?

Primer's Midcredits score is the 77th percentile of all films, from 319K ratings across 6 sources. 66% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

77th percentile

Better received than 77% of films

80th percentile among Drama75th percentile among 2000s
Acclaim (how much people like it)78th
Approval (how many liked it)74th

70 /100

78th percentile of all films

81st percentile among Drama77th percentile among 2000s

Critics 68 · Audience 70

Critics and audiences broadly agree.

Rating distribution

A broad spread centered near 6.9 — solid but not unanimous.

66% liked it

74th percentile of all films

75th percentile among Drama72nd percentile among 2000s
66% rated it 7–1034% rated it 1–6

Critics 72% · Audience 79%

On Rotten Tomatoes, a bigger share of audiences approved than critics.

Awards

0 Oscars won · 0 Oscar noms · 2 wins / 6 noms overall

95th percentile

319K ratings across platforms

97th percentile among Drama92nd percentile among 2000s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Up 28% in 30 days

Box office

Budget$7K
Opening weekend$28K
Domestic gross$425K
Worldwide gross$545K

Returned 77.9× its budget — 53rd percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

Both camps agree that Primer is an extremely complex, low-budget time-travel film that demands multiple viewings and significant effort to understand.

Fans praised

  • Rewatchable puzzle-box structure that rewards deep attention
  • Tense, immersive atmosphere on a $7,000 budget
  • Novel take on time travel emphasizing realistic consequences

Detractors panned

  • Impenetrable plot that requires external explanations
  • Dull, unengaging characters and low production values
  • Dialogue often mumbled and hard to follow

What stands out

OriginalityDivisive75

unique realistic time-travel approach, unlike typical genre films

AtmosphereDivisive70

immersive, tense mood enhanced by low-fi realism

Plot and storyDivisive60

convoluted, puzzle-like narrative that rewards rewatching

TensionDivisive60

momentum builds from intellectual stakes, not action

CinematographyDivisive55

homemade, handheld look that fits the budget

CharactersDivisive45

boring and flat, with some psychological depth noted by fans

DialogueDivisive40

mumbled and hard to follow, but dense with clues

Effects and spectacle30

no action set pieces, deliberately low-fi

Preferred by

Women vs men

Preferred by Men

Men scored it 30 points higher than women.

Critics vs users

Preferred by Users

Users scored it 22 points higher than critics.

US vs non-US

Preferred by US Viewers

US viewers scored it 10 points higher than non-US viewers.

No notable difference between the other groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Under-30s vs over-30s 8 points apart

Watch experience

What is Primer like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Mind-bender: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you want a puzzle and can give it your full attention.

It never lets up and leaves you thinking. Skip it when you can only half-watch or you want every question answered.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Your full attention and a taste for open questions.

What it feels like

Mind-bender.

Moods
TenseColdContemplative
Heaviest: late
Register
Cold and cerebral · 4% of films: Detached and precise; keeps the viewer at arm's length.Brooding: Heavy, inward, weather-beaten.
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.
ToneThe film treats its complex material with maximum seriousness, never undercutting its own tension or logic.
The rideThe film maintains a steady, paranoid tension throughout, with the emotional weight accumulating toward the final act as the friendship disintegrates.
StructureTold in a conventional linear sequence; its complexity comes from the diegetic time loops, not the narrative form.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Thinking.

Thought-provokingUnsettling
Why it leaves you this wayThe film's dense time-loops and moral ambiguity leave you mentally reeling and distrustful.
How it ends · evidence
Ambiguous endingTwist

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).Tragedy
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21%: Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9% (this title): Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% (this title) · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Tragedy: A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin. · Corruption arc: Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).

9% of films fit this archetype

Why this archetypeThe film traces two engineers' step-by-step moral corruption as their time travel invention feeds paranoia and self-serving deception.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfDeception
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27%: Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22%: Identity 14% · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3% (this title)
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16% (this title): Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% (this title) · Deception 9% (this title)
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Morality

Deception · 9% of filmsObsession · 3% of films: A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Betrayal · 5% of films
Warns its theme: Presents its theme as a danger or a coming cost.Intimate stakes: Consequences reach a person or a household.Dual lead
How it treats its themeThe film explores how secrecy and lies between partners escalate into mutual manipulation and broken trust, driven by obsessive ambition.
StanceThe film presents unchecked ambition and deception between two friends as a danger that destroys trust and leads to lasting harm.

The world

ContemporarySuburbanDomesticInstitutionalRealistic
ExperimentalAmbientSupportive music · original score · Shane Carruth
SettingA garage workshop and nondescript suburban spaces doubling as a secret lab for a side-business science project.
MusicA sparse, droning electronic score that underscores the clinical and paranoid atmosphere without calling attention to itself.

Content guide

Is Primer okay for kids?

PG-13

Primer is rated PG-13: “Rated PG-13 for brief language” (MPAA). As of October 3, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at mild (29/100), sexual content at minimal (1/100), language at mild (28/100), drug and alcohol content at mild (30/100) and frightening material at moderate (38/100). Overall it is heavier than 9% of PG-13-rated films.

Ratings in 13 other countries
  • UK12
  • AustraliaM
  • Germany12
  • Ireland12A
  • JapanPG12
  • BrazilL
  • FinlandK-16
  • Greece13
  • MexicoB-15
  • Norway15
  • PortugalM/12
  • Spain12
  • Sweden15
Overall
Mild · all five categories
Heavier than 10% of all filmsHeavier than 9% of PG-13-rated films
Violence & Gore
Mild
light for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 23%
Sex & Nudity
None / Minimal
light for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 1%
Profanity
Mild
light for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 16%
Alcohol & Drugs
Mild
typical for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 42%
Frightening / Intense
Moderate · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
typical for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 38%

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

Nothing here is extreme. The strongest element is frightening material, heavier than 38% of PG-13-rated films.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other films that have them.

What content warnings does Primer have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in Primer?

Cast

9 of the 10 billed cast had never appeared on screen.

Shane Carruth
as Aaron
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
David Sullivan
as Abe
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Casey Gooden
as Robert
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Anand Upadhyaya
as Phillip
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.
Carrie Crawford
as Kara
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.
Jay Butler
as Metalshop Worker
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
John Carruth
as Man On Couch #1
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.
Juan Tapia
as Man On Couch #2
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.
Ashley Warren
as Hostess
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.
Samantha Thomson
as Rachel Granger
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.

Crew

Directed by

Shane Carruth

Written by

Shane Carruth

Cinematography

Troy Dick

Edited by

Shane Carruth

Music by

Shane Carruth

Produced by

Shane Carruth

More like this

What are movies like Primer?

Movies like Primer include Time Lapse (2014), Upstream Color (2013) and It's What's Inside (2024). Of the 8 closest matches, half are corruption arc stories, and most are sci-fi films.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

4 of these 8 share its world: tech startup. Those cards say what else they share.

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What else shares a premise, people or place with Primer?

292 other films share the rarest tag below, premise: time loop. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.